Those who know me know I love to read. Thankfully, in my work as Thinking Nation’s Director of Curriculum I get to utilize that passion by incorporating curiosity-sparking historical fiction excerpts and engaging scholarly nonfiction sources alongside primary sources.
Over the last several years, I have seen many articles published about the lack of reading that is becoming more prevalent, especially with young people. Recently, The Atlantic called this “The End of Reading.”
While I have many thoughts churning on the accuracy of this label, the data remains clear: American students have significant literacy deficits.
As the back-to-school season approaches, I wanted to share one of my favorite strategies for building students’ reading stamina while keeping them engaged and exposing them to multiple perspectives: Utilizing Historical Fiction
First, take a look at three different types of texts and their purposes: